Mitch McConnell reveals fall led to hospitalization after weeks of silence

Mitch McConnell holds a copy of today’s Washington Post sports section with his wife, Elaine Chao, in a photo released by his office. Photograph: Office of Mitch McConnell

The US senator Mitch McConnell on Sunday revealed for the first time that a fall led to his hospitalization, breaking the silence about the Kentucky Republican’s condition after weeks of mounting speculation about his health.

McConnell, 84, said in a statement that he had undergone a battery of tests as doctors try to determine what led to his fall. He explained the long silence about his condition by saying that “folks of my generation often hesitate to share the vulnerability that comes with growing older”.